Stop disinvestment of BMTC, clear dues, say employees

Federation to hold State-level dharna on October 15

Bangalore: The Karnataka Road Transport Staff and Workers’ Federation has urged the Government to disburse the monthly salaries of all the employees of the North West Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation on a fixed date and clear all the outstanding dues of workers, cooperative societies, and the insurance and Employee Provident Fund.

It has urged to fulfil a charter of its demands, including the demand to stop disinvestment of 35 per cent of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).

The general secretary of the federation, H.V. Ananthasubba Rao, told presspersons here on Monday that the federation would observe a State-level dharna on October 15 for drawing the Government’s attention towards its long-pending demands.

Industrial relations

The federation had deliberated on a comprehensive report on the industrial relations and other aspects of the KSRTC, BMTC, NWKSRTC and NEKSRTC for three days. Noted trade union leaders such as M.C. Narasimhan, Siddanagouda Patil and V. Joseph participated at the meeting.

The meeting observed that contrary to the claims of the managements of the four road transport corporations, the industrial and human relations at the corporations had been “destroyed” and various industrial settlements had been “violated”, he said.

The minimum wages prescribed by the Government notification of June12, 2002, was not paid to the 40,000 newly recruited workers from April 1, 2003. The drivers and conductors after recruitment had been kept as trainees for years and they were made to work on a par with regularised drivers and conductors. They were being paid a monthly salary of Rs. 2,500 and Rs. 2,000 respectively, in violation of the Minimum Wages Act (1948), Mr. Rao said.

Although the BMTC had been making substantial profit, ranging from a moderate Rs. 3.97 crore in 1998-99 to Rs. 224.32 crore in 2006-07, the bonus/ exgratia disbursed all these years was only 8.33 per cent though workers were eligible to 20 per cent bonus, he said.

He said that the Government should stop victimising employees through undue transfers and dismissal of trade union leaders and cadres.